1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cigarette holders, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved cigarette holder which provides an ornamented cylindrical holding element secured at one end of an elongated stem. Conventional forms of cigarette holders do not adequately secure a cigarette within the holder. Additionally, conventional holders are not suitable for use with cigarettes having various different diameters. In order to overcome this problem, the present invention provides a cigarette holder with a retaining pin for securing cigarettes within the holder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of cigarette holders are known in the prior art. A typical example of such a cigarette holder is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,345,356, which issued to A. Dunhill on July 6, 1920. This patent discloses a telescoping holder which collapses into a compact size when not in use. A socket on an end portion of the telescoping stem is frictionally engaged with the end of a cigarette. U.S. Pat. No. 1,517,142, which issued to A. Allman on Nov. 25, 1924, discloses a cigarette holder and extinguisher which includes an elongated hollow stem having a central cylindrical passage extending generally parallel therewith. The cigarette may be enclosed within the stem and a cap inserted thereover to smother the cigarette. U.S. Pat. No. 1,862,679, which issued to J. Holsman on June 14, 1932, discloses a short cylindrical jacket for reception around a portion of a cigarette to provide a gripping surface. U.S. Pat. No. 2,626,614, which issued to F. Hamer on Jan. 27, 1953, discloses a combined cigarette holder, casing and stand which is foldable between storage and operative positions. A hollow stem has a central cylindrical passage for insertion of an end portion of a cigarette. U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,644, which issued to H. Shaw on Mar. 19, 1974, discloses a cigarette holder filter which includes a cigarette receiving socket at one end and a mouthpiece at the other end. The interior of the holder includes a fibrous filtering material impregnated with water.
While the above mentioned devices are suited for their intended usage, none of these devices disclose a cigarette holder having an elongated stem with a flattened portion at one end and a cylindrical holding element at an opposite end provided with a spring bias retaining pin for retaining a cigarette within a cylindrical passage formed therethrough. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to these various types of cigarette holders, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to such cigarette holders, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of cigarette holders now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved cigarette holder. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved cigarette holder which has all the advantages of the prior art cigarette holders and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, representative embodiments of the concepts of the present invention are illustrated in the drawings and make use of an elongated cylindrical stem having a flattened handle portion at one end and a generally cylindrical holding element at an opposite end. A cylindrical passage is formed centrally through the holding element and has a longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicular to the stem. The holding element may be provided with ornamentation for providing an attractive appearance. In a second embodiment, a transverse aperture extends through a cylindrical side wall of the holding element and intersects the cylindrical passage. A sharpened tapered inner end of the retaining pin is biased by a coil spring into engagement with a cigarette inserted through the central passage. The cigarette is released by manually retracting the retaining pin by grasping an enlarged exterior head portion of the pin.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved cigarette holder which has all the advantages of the prior art cigarette holders and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved cigarette holder which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved cigarette holder which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cigarette holder which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such cigarette holders economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cigarette holder which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cigarette holder having an attractive ornamental appearance.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cigarette holder which utilizes an elongated stem having a flattened handle portion for enabling convenient handling of a cigarette.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cigarette holder adapted for use with various different diameters of cigarettes and having a spring biased retaining pin for retaining cigarettes therein.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.